Too many lessons?

[joer422]

Is it possible to have too many lessons and just flood yourself with things to correct while playing? I have been playing since i was 15 and am 18 now just got a job over summer so am using the money for lessons which i never really had before but my question is can I book to many lessons? is one a week too much or ok? thanks

 

[Andy808]

It all depends on how much you practice, how many things are you trying to fix at one time and how quickly you pick up what you are being taught.
Personally I have a lesson when each thing is ingrained and second nature then and only then will I book another lesson.

 

[GreiginFife]

it depends on how often you play and practice in between each lesson. You need time to embed the teachings of each lesson.
I would probably advise one per fortnight to allow you to take on and practice/play out the learnings. Over time that will go down even further until you are probably one a quarter or one when you feel you need to fix something specific.

 

[joer422]

good points thanks, I had my lesson yesterday and had the best game i have ever played today so i'm picking it up pretty fast.
will be playing most days for 2 more weeks then 2 or 3 times maximum due to school and studies

 

[HomerJSimpson]

One a week is way too many. Lack of time to work on the changes and get confidence with them on the range AND the course. I'd say once a month is plenty.

 

[dufferman]

I spent some time with a pro last year, and after 3 lessons in 6 weeks he had tried to literally take my swing apart and start from scratch. It made me hate the game and I ended up stopping lessons and took a month of solid practicing to get back to where I was before the lessons!

He WELL overloaded me with info and changes, it was horrible.

I've started lessons again now, and we're taking 2 / 3 things at a time to look at, as well as keeping the basics the same. I'm lucky enough to work in a business park with a driving range so I can practice 3 or 4 times a week AND get out for 18 holes once a week, so a lesson once a week suits me.

As the other guys have said, it all depends on the time you have!

 

[pbrown7582]

agree with the above i would say 1 a forthnight while your playing/practising most days is ok but once school/studies restart i would look to stretch it out to 1 a month you need time to get comfortable with any changes and get them ingrained. good shooting a PB after 1 lesson.

 

[JustOne]

It's up to the individual and their goals on just where they want their swing to be - I'd have a lesson every day if it was possible, Sean Foley could stand with me at the range 24/7 if I was a lottery winner! Some people have just one lesson, get the shanks, then wish they were back where they started - no guts no glory!

 

[Rooter]

My Mrs bought me a "lesson pack" for my birthday in Feb, it was 6 x 45 minute lessons and 1 x 2hr playing lesson. Last week i just finished my last lesson! 1 every 3-4 weeks is plenty and thats only any good if you make time to practice what you have been taught. I had pretty much everything rebuilt, on my first lesson my pro asked me "do you want to just get round and have fun, or do you want to actually get pretty good?" I chose the want to get good option. The next 3 months from Feb, i would say some of the golf i played was the worst ever, i had up until this point never had a lesson.

However, last week on my final lesson, hit some balls while being videoed and went in to review the vids. My pro genuinly thinks i have the technique and the capability to become a very low handicapper, but i need to ingrain all i have been taught. last lesson was on shot shaping, so i can now draw or fade on demand, keep low, hit high etc etc... rewind 4 months and i was having a lesson on how to grip the club properly and how to address the ball! so have learnt and applied quickly.

I just need to practice what i have learned now, not playing regular enough, but i have the fundamentals to dramatically improve.

I have started rambling, to answer the question, 1 lesson every 3-4 weeks is ample, but ideally practice what you have been taught in the previous lesson at least 2-3 times per week in between.

 

[CMAC]

agree with JO, it's where you want to be and how much you want to commit to it.

I also think lots of lessons with different pro's will create chaos, best stick with one you can communicate with then space them out to match how quickly or slowly you will have time to embed the improvements.

I'm with JO on having one a day with Foley or A N Other, then a round with one of my idols over an Open links course, then comps at the weekend

 

[Snelly]

I think IF (and it is a big if) you have got the fundamentals of golf basically right - grip, alignment, tempo - and can get around the course then a lesson or two a year is about right, just to check your fundamental building blocks are still relatively correct. Anything more than that in my view is a waste of time and money.

Of course, I absolutely accept that this is a matter of personal preference and that for some, lessons on a regular basis are a bit of a comfort blanket and central to their improvement.

I am just saying that lots of lessons isn't necessarily a route to success and golfing excellence can be achieved without extensive coaching.

And before anyone implodes and tells me I am completely wrong, please re-read the first sentence above.

 

[dufferman]

I think IF (and it is a big if) you have got the fundamentals of golf basically right - grip, alignment, tempo - and can get around the course then a lesson or two a year is about right, just to check your fundamental building blocks are still relatively correct. Anything more than that in my view is a waste of time and money.

Of course, I absolutely accept that this is a matter of personal preference and that for some, lessons on a regular basis are a bit of a comfort blanket and central to their improvement.

I am just saying that lots of lessons isn't necessarily a route to success and golfing excellence can be achieved without extensive coaching.

And before anyone implodes and tells me I am completely wrong, please re-read the first sentence above.

Just look at good ol' Bubba!

 

[BoadieBroadus]

it will depend on your pro, and letting him know that your intention is to take frequent lessons. I wouldn't say that with the right pro, once a week is too frequent.

any adjustment he suggests will probably need regular refinement after you've hit maybe 200-300 balls trying it, so if you can get up to a range 2 ot 3 times a week lessons aside then a lesson a week isn't too much.

i've no idea how regularly tour pro's see their coaches (and yes their needs are different from the club golfer) but i'd imagine its more than one hour a month.

that said, a pro could just swamp you with swing changes on a weekly basis, because they're in the habit of working with people who only turn up sporadically looking for the unfixable to be fixed.

my view would be one lesson for every 400 balls you hit at a driving range (not in one session). I've gone for fortnightly lessons during my "improvement" phases and it really paid off (with the 2nd pro.)

 

[virtuocity]

My first lesson was on Monday where all we covered was grip, stance and posture. I have spent 3 days (2 hours a day) practising this and feel confident enough to go for a lesson tomorrow where we'll look at either weight transference or the takeaway.

I'm at the stage where the instructor is telling me not to worry about distance or direction, but I'm hoping after my lesson tomorrow, I can start worrying about direction. I will then take a week to visit the range to hit 300 balls over 5 days before even thinking about lesson number 3.

As others have said, I think it's down to how much practice time you can commit between lessons. Whereas I can hit the range daily and feel ready for a lesson every 7 to 10 days, others may only be able to practice once a week and not be ready for another lesson for months.

It will also depend on what level you play at.

I do like that the majority of people agree that lessons are a GOOD thing and I would hope that a good Pro who isn't just in it for the money would be decent enough to offer advice on lesson frequency.

 

[Achilles]

My personal preference if having a set of lessons is to have at least 2 weeks in between. This SHOULD give enough time to embed the changes both in the range and out on the course, but it is all dependent on how much time you have to practice what has been taught. I don't like to have a lesson close to a comp either as it's too easy to fall back into old habits for safety. As Snelly has said though, lessons are a very personal thing so if you feel you are picking things up very quickly then do what you feel comfortable with. Just be prepared for the inevitable crap round when making changes! I had a lesson last year which killed my game for a fortnight. However, I stuck with it and came out of the other side smiling.

 

[JustOne]

I consider golf lessons to be exactly the same as learning to drive a car. Some people are capable of learning everything in a few days whilst others have a series of lessons over many months. You might be the type of person that can spend several lessons trying to master parallel parking or you might be the person who can do hill starts, parallel park, reverse around a corner and more in a single lesson. I like the idea of learning as much as possible so I know everything I need to do, a series of golf lessons over many months really wouldn't interest me as each one is liable to send me back to square 1.

 

[DaveyG]

I wouldn't say too many lessons I would say two many too soon...

I try and wait a while between lessons and feel much more benefit for it.

 

[RGDave]

I'd have a lesson every week if I could fit in at least 500 balls and 2 games.

Trouble is, 500 is probably only 1/2 of what I need to improve anything. (Sadly).

1,000 is like 16 range sessions, so that's why even one a month would be asking a bit too much.

t.b.h. if I'm playing well and enjoying it, I don't bother.

 

[ScienceBoy]

I consider golf lessons to be exactly the same as learning to drive a car. Some people are capable of learning everything in a few days whilst others have a series of lessons over many months.

Well said Imurg!

My rule has always been a lesson every 4-8 weeks once I got going, it gave me time to work on the drills between lessons. Too frequent and you may not have moved forward since your last lesson, too infrequent and bad habits creep back in (I know as I am there right now).